You can't tie a preemergent weed controller to a date on the calendar. There has been a LOT of discussion about this topic over the years. For awhile, recognizing that timing was critically important to the success of the product, there was not much more than lamenting the inability to predict the time. Then one of the gurus suggested using one of Mother Nature's "whispers" to tell. The blooming of the forsythia plant was the time. Well, not everyone has forsythia. My personal refinement on timing is to apply it after the soil temps hit 50 degrees AND a spring rainstorm hits. The soil has to be warm enough and there has to be sufficient, sustained moisture for crabgrass to germinate. I strongly suspect these conditions precede the blooming of the forsythia, but I'm one who does not have that plant to go by. I do have a cherry tree down the road that always blooms in Feb, so I go by that. Then again I don't have a crabgrass problem so I don't use preemergents. If you use the shampoo two times separated by two weeks, you won't need the aerator. Normal soil is soft when wet and hard when dry. But it should soften again when it gets wet. So called, compacted soil, does not soften when wet. The problem that prevents the soil from softening is the lack of an adequate population of beneficial fungi in the soil. Deep watering with a little soap will create the environmental conditions to foster the rapid growth of these microbe helpers. Use only clear shampoo. The cloudy stuff has oils in it that do not help. My personal opinion is that spraying insecticide because you think you might have a problem is not helpful. There is an organic solution to grubs. It is called beneficial nematodes. These little guys bring an insect disease to the grubs and paralyze them. Then they feed on the insects and procreate. I get BN locally but the original source is this place in Colorado. Apply them with a hose-end sprayer. But first, apply about 3/4-inch of water (or a couple days of rainfall). The BN must have a film of water to move on. They cannot move in dry soil. So first get the soil wet, then apply the BN, then finish with another 1/4-inch of water. Milorganite is fine. I never use it because it has more heavy metals in it than alfalfa pellets (rabbit chow) and alfalfa is lower cost. Probably the reason you did not see any greening effect is you were starting with virgin soil. By next June the soil will be depleted enough to see a greening effect as well as the turf becoming more dense. Here is a demonstration photo showing the effect of alfalfa pellets on a zoysia lawn. This apparently is a very effective photo. I have had clerks at the local feed store tell me about more and more people coming in to get alfalfa pellets for their lawn. The alfalfa was applied in May 2011 and the photo taken in June. Organic fertilizers typically don't show results for 3 full weeks. If you are really indifferent about the soil test, then I would go to Logan Labs. You will get a better read on that test. If you search Google for "logan labs, andy, morpheuspa" you will find a place where you can get guru level help for free. They have been reading LL soil tests for many years. Do not add more topsoil unless you need to change the way your yard drains...because topsoil WILL change the way your yard drains. If you don't start with it right up against the house, then water will drain toward the house. If you do not have 4 full inches of foundation visible below the sill plate on your house, then you should be removing topsoil instead of bringing new soil in. The sill plate is the top of your foundation where the ground floor starts. As you can tell, I am not a fan of topsoil. Oh, and it always has weeds in it. When I need "topsoil" to fill a low spot, I get a local product that is 50/50 sand and "compost." What it really is is half sand and half fresh horse dung. That stuff is hotter than a pistol when it's delivered. Weed seeds cook off in such hot conditions for any amount of time. Plus the sand is very easy to deal with, spreads easily with no clods, and takes roots well. Compost is nice if you can get it for free. Use no more than 1 cubic yard per 1,000 square feet of lawn. For gardens you can pile it deep, but lawns will smother underneath compost. I see it in my neighborhood every year. There is one lawn that has not recovered in several years. Another keeps repeating the mistake every other year. Their lawn almost completely recovered from an app last spring before the grass stopped growing last week or so. It is sad to see the huge emphasis on compost by the radio show garden experts. They seem to recommend 2 cubic yards per thousand. That will smother even a bermuda lawn. In my neighborhood compost costs about $75 per yard to have it delivered. That means $75 per 1,000 square feet. Or I can apply alfalfa for about $5 per 1,000 square feet. I get a huge bang for the buck applying the alfalfa and almost nothing from compost. Add that to the agony of spreading compost and the possibility of smothering the lawn, and I just keep away from it. I can apply 15 apps of alfalfa for the cost of compost.

We use a few methods to keep our Family Calendar/Schedules in order. In our case, the second is an extension of the first. 1) I am in charge of the "Master" calendar which is on a Palm program. Family members can add information on the computer, or, if we are out and about and one of my kids or DH tells me of an upcoming event, I just hand them the Palm Pilot. (If your kids are young then you would add this info.) A nice feature is that I can create and view individual categories (created by me i.e. each family member, occasions, church events, etc) but typically I view "ALL" so that I can see if there are conflicts. So, as an example, at the beginning of each month I can choose the "Occasions" category to see what cards and gifts I need to buy, and view it without the visual clutter of other schedules. The Palm information is continually updated as needed -- and having it with me allows for any family member to call at any given moment to ask about upcoming events, etc. 2) Each Sunday I post a Weekly "Word" document on the refrigerator, a single 9 x 11 page. It is interactive in that all family members can add to it. It is in table format with 4 columns: Day, Schedule, Notes/Updates, Daily Chore. "Day" is narrowest. No additional info here, just lists the days of the week, Monday through Sunday (for 7 rows). "Schedule" is for the kids' activities and is color coded for each child. Typically, the items listed here are those that require transportation (usually provided by me). "Notes/Updates" is for family members to add info that might be useful. I ask the kids to post upcoming tests, etc. to remind them to study or to remind me to ask about it afterwards. This column might also note extended family members' birthdays (so we remember to call) or to add a note "Call about AC maintenance" or "Need $$ for track t-shirt" or "Hot lunch not served today" or "Don't forget to tape American Idol" -- things that might come up during that week and pertain to that week. The third column reminds the kids of their "Daily Chore" with a space to check it off. There is space underneath the table for additional notes, or a phone #. This Word document is saved on my computer and takes all of 5 minutes to update and print off for the upcoming week. (Quite often the schedule stays the same, piano on Wed, dance on Thurs -- just adding an orthodontist appt or another once-in-a-while event). This document is posted along side a narrow dry-erase board to add additional notes or reminders for that day only. (It gets erased every night.) The Weekly Calendar format could be used by anyone and is not dependent upon using an electronic calendar. 3) I do have a large day-runner calendar on the side of the fridge. This is filled in at the beginning of each month (from info on the Palm), but is rarely updated throughout the month. This calendar is entirely unnecessary to our system of maintaining a family calendar, and should not be used as a reference for what is going on during any given day or weekend. The family knows this, and knows that the Palm is the most updated schedule. I keep the wall calendar because it is what I used for years BEFORE going electronic. I like filling it in at the beginning of each month (have always preferred pen and paper, but the Palm is so much more useful). Things like "Reference" info, that I do not need to have with me on a Palm program because it does not affect anyone's schedule, is posted here.... It has the recycling stickers for the Recycling Schedule. I might put a phone # here of someone I might need to call upon to carpool at the last minute because I'm stuck at home and misplaced my keys. The schools' A/B Day schedule is on this calendar... that sort of info. Knowing that it is superfluous, I took it down for few months and just printed off a Monthly view of the Palm calendar -- that worked OK, but I missed my bigger calendar. (If I were only using a paper calendar and requiring family members to keep it updated, this is the only one I would use. I like it because it has a lot of space and it is ruled.) Hope this is helpful to someone. I'd be happy to share the Word version of our family calendar, just email me :-) Here is a link that might be useful: DayRunner wall calendar

UPDATE on swap seeds. I spent the night watching SB and updating my tomato seeds. someone took the whole bags of A-B tomato seeds. Which is fine. I hope they can grow out or spend the love of tomatoes. still holding quite a few . The ground hog and FA have me felling anxious. this is farmers almanac notes. FA says March avg. temp 43. 1 to the 17 th light flurries to rain. 25th to the 31st rain then snow showers April -ave temp. 53. - 1-6 sunny and cool 10 to 12 rainy warm 22nd to 31 few showers mild My avg temp 67 few thunderstorms warm

Raee, the Chicago area has been working to address these issues here in our city. Just last night, I saw an area college that was opening its now-empty dorms for hospital staff and first responders so they don't have to commute home to their families. The last I heard, the city is also working to make hotel rooms available to the homeless. I'm particularly worried about domestic abuse victims, and children who are cooped up with parents who may not have healthy coping skills during these stressful times.